Strollerderby

My grandma always hated her name, Dora. Now it's seemingly made a comeback with Dora The Explorer.  My grandpa, Normand (or Norm as they called him), was such a class act. I've always found it interesting how each of us classifies a name as either "good" or "bad", depending upon what (or who) we associate it with.    

It's all a matter of perspective. Truly. Exhibit A: Ten minutes ago, I would have said that Earl is not such a great name. But seeing your Earl? Totally changed my mind. What an adorable baby. Earl rocks.

I knew a Norbert who was very cool. I knew a Dolores who was totally in touch with her inner Lolita. I knew a male Courtney who, despite the name and despite being smart and bookish, still had swagger to spare.

I'm sure someone somewhere had a Grandma Hortense who did something amazing (worked in a factory in WWII; fought for women's suffrage rights; kept a wicked sense of humor while raising six kids, etc.) and who would be proud to name their daughter after such an amazing woman.

As namers, we parents put a lot of pressure on ourselves to prove how cool we are. I know I'm guilty of feeling that way myself. Personally, I think if a kid likes their name and it has meaning for them, then it doesn't matter what that name is.

I think Nancy put it very well.

Can we add Brittany to that list?

Dorcas. never thought I'd know one outside of early american lit, but met one in high school. Can you imagine being names Dorcas??

btw: my youngest son is Vincent. We get a lot of people asking us if we named him after an older family member. I don't get it. The name fits him perfectly, and is the furthest thing from old man-sh.

I completely agree that Ennis is about the worst name out there.  However, she really thought of naming her kid Chester?  Where I grew up, any creepy old man was referred to as "Chester the Molester."  I can't see any name that rhymes with Molester making a big comeback.

Girl: Fatima

Boy: Lester

Both family names we were able to cross off the list from the get-go :) I think you know a name is "bad" if the family member chose an entirely different name (not even a nickname of their "bad" name) to go by.

That said, I agree with the other commenters that names sort of grow on a baby, and cute babies make their name cute (unfortunately it doesn't always work the other way - cute names do not always equal cute babies...) But anyway, our son is named Henry (another family name) but from the get-go we called him Hank. My mom was appalled that we even considered that name before he was born, but then she held her little Hank and proclaimed it the perfect name for him.

Ennis will always remind me of Cosby's son that was murdered back in '97.

I was a doula for a woman who said she was going to name her daughter Esther and I thought she was kidding. I actually said "you mean like ugly aunt Esther from Sanford and Son?" Holy crap, did I learn a lesson in what not to say, sleep deprived or not.

I have a nephew named Cyrus.

Cyrus the Virus.

My mother calls him by his middle name - Wesley.

*sigh*

We were looking for a family name to use...Hortense?  Uh, in spite of Nancy's good points, it just wasn't gonna happen.  Wilma?  (I adored my grandmother by that name.)  Nope...too many overtones of the Flintstones.  We went with Norah (my great aunt), which had the old fashioned vibe but still wasn't making the top 10 (or top 100) list.  

Dreadful names that hopefully won't make a comeback: Providence, Mavis, Doris, Josephine, Hilda, Mabel, Velma, Thelma, Beatrice, Constance, Agnes, Agatha, Claudia

Just had to add this on - I used to work with a woman who's first name was Gurvis. God bless her. I can't believe a mother could be so cruel. It sounded like some sort of ancient disease.

My in-laws have an Elmer Elmo (he's an old man now) - but they're Southern and it sounds a lot better with that beautiful drawl. I just had a patient named Dorcas - she was in her nineties. Grotesque names for the young up and comers - I recently had dealings with a 5 year old named "Disteny"...I think they were shooting for Destiny and missed.

Can we get rid of Priscilla--not a great name and horrible nicknames, including "Pris" and, worst of all, "Pussy"?

The assoication I always have for Norman is Medieval England and all those stories of the Norman invasion.  Unless your really attached to the saxon side of things, I always felt it had a romantic medieval aristocratic feel.

But I am a bit of a history buff....

Also I really like Agnes, if I ever have a girl, it's defintely going to be on the list.  I think it is lovely.  

Claudia is a perfectly lovely name, thank you!

This whole exchange goes to show that people are always going to differ on names.   I'd much rather have a niece named Mabel than one named Mackenzy or similar.  I do agree that some of the older names don't have that appealing 'retro' vibe.   'Millie' could be cute; 'Beula' is probably not poised for a comeback.

I never understand people calling their child by their middle name. Why not use it as a first name?

There is one name not mentioned that is probably off the list forever:

ADOLPH.

I used to know a man named Marion & I doubt that's making a comeback although it does shorten nicely to Mac.  I also don't hear any about any Sissys (beside Sissy Spacek.)

Besides those few I think all of them will eventually come back in fashion.  In fact I like a lot of the names people are posting, especially Doris, Josephine, Hilda, Mabel, Velma, Thelma, Agnes, Agatha & Claudia, Cyrus, Lester (Les).  I think plain old fashioned names sound solid and grounded, unpretentious.  

I went to school with a boy named Maynerd.  Let's just say that it gave the junior highers in my school an endless supply of ammo.

The Sesame Street names are probably doomed. Oscar, Elmo, Grover, Kermit, Ernie, and probably Bert.

Also, Dorcas.

I actually really like Lucretia - very Gladiator'ish. But when I have a girl (if and when) - her name will start with a "B" - and it doesn't stand for Bertha! :) I like the name game...

So somehow, my maternal grandfather was named Earl, so my mother is Earleen (and she has a brother named Earl II), and my fraternal grandfather was Ferrel (sounds like "Furl") so my aunt's middle name is Ferrelene.  I love my family, and, of course, once you meet her-- Earleen is the perfect, most wonderful name for my mom, but I question the addition of 'een' or 'ene' to the end of men's names.  Of course, I named my daughter after my grandmother's name-- Adylene.  (I don't know any men named Adyl...)I also have an Ethylanne relative.  I love them all as people, but thought I'd throw them out as not as potential for the top ten list.  I like non-top-ten names!

Oh, Hannah-- I know three Oscar kids under 5!  Grover, not so much.

Jenny -

Re: Adolph,

Never say never. Give it another four hundred years.

How else to explain why people name their kids things like Gengis and Nero? They were the Adolphs of their time.  

My daughter is named Mabel and when I tried it out before she was born people would either declare their love for it or say "well, you could call her Mae". Now she is here and is just a dreamy little girl. It absolutely suits her and people compliment it all the time. So I think some of these names in abstract seem one way, but then when there is a life attached to the name, you feel differently.Plus, it means lovable.

Also, her best pal is named Josephine, another name some of you have scoffed at.

Interesting point about Adolf becoming popular in perhaps four hundred years. My name is actually Eva and I'm floored at the current popularity of Eva, Ava, etc. in the United States. It didn't take four hundred years for kids to forget (or, more accurately, not know) that Eva was Hitler's girlfriend, but under four decades in my case. Thanks to the parents of Ms. Longoria and Ms. Herzegovina!

As someone said, never say never.

Can we at least agree that these names would be pure punishment - Ethel, Edna, Erna, Maude & Chloris??

But, I would like to see Gwendolyn, Esmeralda and Roxanne come in style.

For girls, I'm pretty sure Hattie and Eula aren't going to make comebacks. For boys, I'd have to go with Percival and Horace.

I actually like Ethel and Edna.

I would vote to remove the name Twyla from ever becoming acceptable. I have hated it my whole life. Every person always thinks they are the first to realize that "Hi, Twy" rhymes. Yep, I know it does. Also, I have to spell my name for everyone whether they need to write it or not. Furthermore, I get to hear endless stories of every Twyla anyone has ever known. Do you know how many older men had a first girlfriend named Twyla? I do.

I don't mean to sound oh poor me-ish but I am explaining why my kids are named David, Olivia, Taylor and Kyle. No confusion, no odd spellings. Simple and they can get license plates or shoelaces with thier names on them. I was always envious of those kids who had thier names on thier pencils at school. Mine said Star Student or something dumb.

By the way, I absolutely love the name Mabel. I think it is so pretty. And anything that can be shortened to Milly or Lilly is high on my list of adorable.

I wanted to name my boy Adrian (husband vetoed because of Rocky) or Julius. I love that. Darn that Julius Ceaser and Orange Julius. They ruined it for me. Oh, yeah and I couldn't find it on the rack of things with names printed on it.

My husband's grandmother is named Milford.  Pretty sure that's one that is gone for good!

One more thing, I love the name Beatrice. I know a hispanic girl by that name and she goes by Bea. (Said Bay-ah) Maybe it helps that she is a sweet, beautiful girl.

Maude is short for Marjorie (as seen in Harold & Maude).  My name is Marjorie and I like it.  I like a lot of old-fashioned names though.  I would sooner name a child Edna than Maddyssin.  I'm not into creative spellings or pronunciations or just made-up names.  I prefer names that aknowledge one's heritage and the greater connection of humans to history.

Beatrice is our infant daughter's name, and before she was born, you couldn't imagine how many people scoffed and made faces at the name.  Even her grandfather begged and begged me to consider what he called a "normal" name; he claimed that Beatrice reminded him of someone's ugly, fat, mean Aunt.

However, now everyone fawns over how beautiful and fitting the name is.  Everyone calls her Baby Bea!  It's a very classy, poetic name that I drew from classics like Dante's The Divine Comedy and Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

I personally (and this is just my humble opinion) think that the current fad with names that end in "ayden" is obnoxious.  You know, Jayden, Hayden, Brayden, Caden, Aiden, and so on....They are fine names, they are just EVERYWHERE!

Boys:  Lester, Fredrick, Dwight, Cyrus, Clyde, Delmar, Ralph, Theodore (Teddy? Ted?)

Girls: Agnes, Hester, Agatha, Ethel, Muriel, Winnifred, Mildred

I love Beatrice, with Bea for short.  I like a lot of the old-fashioned names (Ava, Margaret, Alice, Benjamin, Charles, Lenora, Elodie, Theda, Esme, Wyatt)

More pearls for you: Myrna, Imogene and Elnora.

I wonder if anyone is using the name Hermione - since the Harry Potter craze? Or as my son jokes about the name using a british accent, "My-heinie".

Twlya, I think your name is pretty because it sounds like "twilight." I also love the name Olivia.

How about Gaylord or Gaylene?  I don't think those will come back!

I wonder where old Greek names that were so unique went, like Andromache or Polites. They were so beautiful. Names with 'Esm' like Esme or Esmerelda always sound magical. (And don't forget Renesmee! :D)

These names just make me want to choke something, even though they're still in style, because they're so obnoxious: Elegance, Adorable, Beautiful. They really just are. Naming your girls after relatives, or in other languages? Okay. Pretty. Nice. Naming them after adjectives is just stupid. Plus, what if they turn out *not* beautiful? >:D

Thanks Manjari. The ironic thing is it is one more thing we disagree about. Very funny! And, yes, I have been called Twilight, as in straight from the Twilight Zone. Thanks for the props for my daughter's name too. I had to take sole credit for that one since I was single or abandoned (whichever you prefer). I picked it after watching the sonogram video like 10 times and realizing how graceful she was. (Duh, she was surrounded by fluid. The pregnant mind is a wonderful thing.) Up until that point her name was to be Molly.

I am sad to see so many people don't like the name Cyrus. I love it. And, much to your sadness, it is on the rise. I know a Cyrus on my son's soccer team and one that is about 11 months old. Also, Silas is gaining momentum.

If you do name your kid Gaylord you have to give him the middle name Focker. That would actually make it almost okay.

Can we be done with Jennifer?!  I enjoy a lot of these names!  I think you just have to make sure your kid is not a jerk, and then they can handle any name bestowed upon them!  As for the Sesame St. kids, they sure ruined it for me.  I have always loved the name Elmo and Elmo is the patron saint of sailors...not a fuzzy red puppet!  Begged for the name but was talked out of it.  You can't fight Sesame Street...no matter how awesome your kid is, they'll get it for sure.  (Although my 11 mnth old totally suits Elmo!)

I like some of the hated names listed above - I really think the name Chester for a boy is great! It has so much character!

I think a couple of names that are dead for girls are Gertrude and Lorna. They're terrible. For boys, I hope names that sound like fat old trucker men wearing baseball caps and smoking are gone. You know, like Bob, Bill and Chuck.

I think the only ones that truly won't make a comeback are those that either have become undelibly taboo, such as Adolf, or those that, thoughout history, have become a common word meaning something else, such as Gay. Then again, you never know what people are going to name their offspring: a friend of mine has a sister that named her little boy Burr.

PS, doesn't matter what we name our kids...most people I know aren't fans of their own names.  I so desperately wanted the name Cindy as a child...  And don't worry Twyla, I never had anything with my name on it either - they were always sold out.  

I also love the name Twyla. It sounds particularly nice in the South.

One of my grandfathers is Herman and the other is Virgil. I adore and respect my grandfathers, but these are awful names for a kid. Can you imagine going through junior high named "Virgil"? Gay, Gaye, Gaylord- I agree, never coming back. It seems like names have to be pretty egregious to never come back. There are even baby Ursulas now. And yes, they are all very cute, but it is still not a pretty name. The new trend seems to be going back to these old names- sometimes it can really sound contrived. So in an effort to not be trendy, parents are coming up with a whole other trend.

"Chester, chester, child molester" is why I thought Chester and Lester were done. I can't believe people would look past that and punish thier kids with that name.

I know you can make something out of any name but some are just easy targets. We really thought this all through. So, to help I have always called Olivia my "Livers" so bring it on bullies!

I think I was a bully in a past life because the minute we picked the name Kyle all I could think of was We found Kyle in a pile of bile but he had a smile after a while. I know it is dorky, but we do check to see what our kids bring to the table for the mean kids to use.

I'm genuinely surprised by many of the names people are appalled by.... Many of them are names I actually particularly like...

Our girl is named Henrietta after her great-grandmother and we call her Hattie and we've received many, many compliments on her name... clearly some of these deeply unfashionable names strike a chord with people....

My grandfathers names: Homer and Norman. Needless to say, we didn't look to my side of the family for inspiration when naming our son.

I like Cyrus and Silas.

I am defiently into newer names, or older names revamped. My daughter's full name is Rhianna Therese. The Rhianna is not for the singer either, I didn't know about her when I named her that. And the Therese is for my great grandmother (her great great), they were born on the exact same day, 92 years apart. But Rhianna was chosen because it was close to Ryan (her dad) and he was the one who wanted a girl, I wanted to name her Ryne, or Ryan. I think boys names for girls are so cute. (Logan anyone?) But we call her Anna, which is pretty normal considering the names I had chosen.

My siblings are, Shannon, Caitlin, Joey, Becky and AJ. they are all regular, normal names so I wanted something different and unique. well AJ is actually Armand Jr. and that would have to be my choice for names that will never come back. I think Armand is the worst name ever, especially when coupled with the middle name Rosaire. Which is what my dad and brother are named. Armand Rosaire.... can you think of anything worse?

As for the names mentioned, I love the name Cyrus, and names like Theodore (Theo), and Thaddeus (Thad) are so freaking cute. I do enjoy some older names, but I wouldnt always choose them for my kids. I do love the names Jakob (Jak), Vincent (Vince), Dade, Lincoln, Liam, Finn, Beckett, and Julietta.

Julietta is really the only girls name I like that is not "newer". But I think the names I like are generally okay, they are not to "trendy" but still different.

I've met 2 Lesters in my life, and both of them were rockin' dudes.  So Lester is in for me.  I love some of the names on the cut list.

As for the second name as a "first name"... in my case my husband... because he is named after his father, the second name after a saint.  To distinguish between the two men in the same house middle names were used, and are continued to be used today.

It's funny, I don't meet many Jean's my age though, maybe only 3 others in my lifetime.

If I had to cut something out though it might be celebrity based, like britney... I never met an older woman name Britney.  I always thought of it as a sweet girls name.  Who knows, maybe I will one day have have to recant that remark.

Ha!  I love reading some of these comments!  My husband and I went through about 3 baby books and chose the name of our kid based on if we could make fun of it or not!  I'm totally serious.  I found out what my husband was like at 10 years old that day ;)

We chose Maxwell... yes there is poking potential, but it made the list, and when we met him, I knew that was the name.

Did anyone mention Pervis? That would just be cruelty.

At its time, though, it probably sounded cool and edgy. I wonder what future generations will think about us naming our boys Messiah (it's on the top 1000, believe it or not).

Umm...Agnes? Constance? Esther? These are classic names with history and meaning. I hope more Victorian creakers make a comeback. It's all we have left for creative naming at this point and they're a lot prettier than made up atrocities like Kenara.

BTW, I happen to know a Constance who is, I assure you, cooler than all of us.

@Twyla-I so wanted to name my son Adrian or Julian, but my husband vetoed both.  

@Anna Marie-I really like Josephine and Beatrice (also Beatrix!)

I know a 9 year old boy named Cyrus and the name fits him perfectly!

I kept reading the comments after posting my last one, and Anne Marie, you're killing me! :-)

Our daughter is Eleanor, but she was almost Imogen (Im-uh-gen).  If there is a next girl, she will be!

J- I am curious what you settled on. We had a really hard time naming our boy. Neither of us liked Kyle, we just didn't hate it. He like Quinten or Quincy. I thought they sounded kind of pansy which is how he felt about Adrian, Julian, Julius or anything else I liked.

Is anyone else tired of Kylee, Kaylee, Kaitlyn? Just curious.

I'm quite tired of Kaylee myself, and would like to see Nevaeh go to Lleh. I love unusual names, but invented bits of nonsense just annoy me.

J - I love Imogen!

You also need to throw in regional and cultural interpretations and pressures.  I live in holland, where I have met several (under 2 set) Esthers, Hesters, Geerts(boy), Caspers (not a ghost), floris(again a male) & Koen's(pronounced coon).  When I suggested Lia or Ali for my unborn girl- the looks of horror would have shamed any self respecting Bertha or Sally.

My side of the family is full of old Italian names. I'm actually Vita, my dad is Felice (fell-EEE-she), and there's a ton of Joes, Roses and Marys. We named my son Benedetto after my grandpa (both go by Benny), and if we have a girl, she's gonna be Rosemary. Next boy will be Felice. I always thought I'd stay away from those names, but I love them now!

My grandmother's name was Elvira, and I am pretty sure that one is never, ever coming back! :) She hated it all her life and everyone called her "Lolly" instead. But even her name was not as bad as her own mother's name: Pierrina. Grandma Lolly wanted my parents to name me Pierrina, and thank heavens my parents didn't listen to her (Purina, anyone?)!

When I was a kid I hated my own name (Caterina) because no one could spell or pronounce it (I quickly became "Cat") and because, as Twyla also mentioned, kids with unusual names never get to have the personalized pencils and keyrings and stuff. As an adult I've learned to embrace it (although most people still call me "Cat").

I'm also with the defenders of "Beatrice" - I find it very graceful. But I'll add one name to the "never come back" list: Sylvia - an otherwise lovely name forever ruined by the song "Sylvia's Mother."

Well,  I am a Margaret who was immediately named Meg.  Thank you mom for a lifetime of explaining, that no, actually, my name is not Megan.  I also have similarities to many people here with my family naming history, my fathers side has women almost entirely named with the ending -een.  Ugh.  And I am named for a great grandmother and an aunt.  I think Margaret is an old name, I have probably only ever met 2 other Margarets, and I am 29.  Now, there were 5 Amy's in my elementary school and there were 40 kids in my entire grade which shows you how names can be popular.

Not recent, but I have an ancestral cousin (back in the early 1800's) named "Blackleach".  Really.  Ok, it was a family name (his grandfather was so-and-such Blackleach). Jessup (as a first name; usually because a grandfather or such was named <something> Jessup).

Other  Puritan/Congregational-Connecticut names include Zebulon and Sylvanus (several in my family tree).

Other well-out-of-fashion names is "Sidney" (for boys), Florence, Elmer, Emma (I think), Harriet, etc.

Why do people always malign my name? sob......

Seriously, I hated my name when I was a kid b/c I was the only Mildred I'd ever heard of that wasn't a maid on TV, or someone's 80 year old spinster aunt. But now I love it. It suits me. We're unique.

Emma?  Out of fashion?  You can't walk through a Gymboree without tripping over five Emmas (or Emilys)

ok, seriously..this is (to me) the never ever name...Myrtle...I associate it with like the beach and a turtle... I would love to name my next child Dorothy, thats a very antique-y name. My daughter is Juliya Taylor and that sounds like a wedding dress designer... ok heres the names that ppl should forget for the next century as follows:

1-Brittany

2-Madison

3-Katie

4-Michelle

5-Emily

No offense to who ever named their kids those names or combonation on names but they are WAYYYYY too over done. I swear to you every other girl in high school is named brittany. i really think that from 85-2005 ppl had a brain lapse on names

This is all just too much fun!  I always threatened to name a daughter after both my grandmothers  -- Eulalah Louella.  I chickened out at the last minute.  "Creative" names run in my family -- Vina Oregan, Celestial Faye, Arzelle Sue.  I sort of felt I let the team down when I actually named my daughter Theresa and my son Michael.  

I'm with Twyla about the pencils thing.I could NEVER get snything with my awful name on it..Every girl in school when I was a kid was either Jennifer,Michelle,Heather,Shannon,Nicole,etc;all I ever heard was "why do you have an African name?"I could never explain to then that Sonia is Russian/Slavic.But then I'm, from the deep south so there are only so many names folks down here have heard of...

I never got why so many parents use Lynn as a middle name for girls.I swear every other girl in the 80s had Lynn as a middle name.I think it's just plain dull.And what's the trend with surnames as girls' first names?Madison,Bailey,Taylor...*pukes*

My daughter's great-grandmothers, Minerva, Madge, Juanita, and Arva were all incredibly hard working and serious women. Still, none of their names sounded right for my little bundle of joy. We named her Amanda because, although old-fashioned, it seemed to fit her.